Apparatus for making phonograph-records.



W. ROTTER.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING PI'IONOGR'APH RECORDS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. I9.|910.

4 SHEETS- SHEET I.

WTNESSES ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

W. BUTTER. APPARATUS ma MAKING PHoNoGRAPH RECORDSl APPLICATION FILEDNOV. 19. Iglo. 1,162,256. Patented 'Non 30, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NVENTOH w/mfssfs 2 w. Roma. APPARATUS FOR MAKING PHONOGRAPH RECORDS.

APPLICATION FILED NDV. I9. ISIIO.

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I I# .7 u I l AS .2 I 2 s IIIIII n.0 e. I p 1, 2 l

INVENTOI? ATTORNEY.

WITNESSES Dg/IMM WILLIAM ROTTER, F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

AIPARATUS FOR MAKING 'PI-IONOGRAPH-RECORDS.

. To all'whom it may concern:

provements Y Be it known that I, WILLIAM Ro'rrnn, a citizen Y oftheUnited States, residing at Newark,-in the county-of Essex and State ofNew Jersey, have invented certain Imin ,Apparatus for MakingPhonograph-Records, of which the following is a specification. y

The objects of this invention are to Secure an improved method ofmanufacturing cylindrical records of plastic materials that can besoftened by heat', such as Celluloid kand the like; to enable' therequisite pressure of the cylinderagainst the-matrix to be ob-v taineddirectly and uniformly; to secure sharply defined impressions in therecord and thusl a clear and perfectcsound reproduction; -to reduce thec'ost 'and labor of manufacturing records, and to obtain otheradvantages and results as may bebrought out in the followingdescription.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numeralsofreference indicate the same parts throughout the severa] iigures,Figure 1 is-a side elevation of the preferred form of apparatus forcarrying out my improved process, partly in central vertical section;Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in thedirection indicated by the arrow; Fig, 3 is an end View of the pressureproducing means'detached from the rest of the apparatus; Fig. 4 is acentral longitudinal section of said pressure producing means, taken online 4 4 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow Fig.5i is a side elevation of another form of pressure-producing means whichcan be employed in place of that shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4; Fig. 6 isa cross section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5, looking in the directionindicated by the arroW; Fig. 7 is a side Y elevation of an apparatushaving modified meansfor producing the pressure; Fig. 8 is across-section on line 8-8 of Fig. 7, looking in the direction indicatedby the arrow; Fig. -9 shows in central longitudinal section an apparatushaving means for expanding the rubber sleeve radially by, compressing itlongitudinally, the compressing caps overlapping the ends of the matrixonly a short distance; Fig. 10 illustrates a modification in which'theend caps telescopicall'y overlap each other at the outside of theSpecification of Letters Patent.

' application mea November 19', 1910. serial No. 593,146.

- PatentedN0v.'3o,1915.

matrix so as to lform a casing, and Fig. 11

illustrates a form in which compressing rings are placed between the endcaps` and ends of the rubber sleeve.

Inl said drawings, and referring especially to Figs. l, 2, 3 and 4, 1indicates a cylindricalcasing open at both ends and adapted to containthe cylindrical matrix 2 fitting is said casing so as to be supportedthereby.

The matrix 2 has on 'its inner surface theA impressions to be producedon the record, and 3 indicates a cylinder of Celluloid adapted to t insaid Amatrix and be pressed against the inner surface thereof. Insidethesaid Celluloid cylinder 3 is a layer 4 of paper, and next inside saidpaper is a rubber sleeve 5. Inside said vsleeve is an expander 6 bymeans of which the said rubber sleeve 5 is expanded radially outward `inall directions to secure the requisite pressure of the Celluloidcylinder against the matrix. The

said expander 6 comprises a` tubular sheet metal body portion 7 splitlongitudinally as at 8 and having inturned end anges 9, 9. Upon each endof said tubular body portion 7 are means for forcing apart the edgesofthe same on opposite sides of its longitudinal slit 8, so as to obtainoutward pres Y sure. These means are the same for both ends .of thedevice and comprise two' studs. 10, 11 set in the end flanges 9 onopposite sides of the slit 8, a hand lever 12 being pivoted upon onestud, as 10, and having in itself a s lot 13 to receive the other stud11 Said slot 13 is eccentric with respect to the pivotal stud 10, sothat as the lever is swung in one direction rit contracts theex-` panderand when swung in the other direcl,

tion expands it. In the drawings I have shown the handle of the lever l2projecting radially inward over the end of the expander, but obviouslyit could extend in the opposite direction if desired. The two levers 12,-12 can be operated together and thus the tubular body portion 7expanded vto press the rubber sleeve 5 against the cel'- a soften thelatter.

In Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings I have shown an expanderl 14 which `canbe used in place ofthe expander 6 just described, if

desired. In this construction a tubular sheet metal body portion islongitudinally lAfter the body portion 15 has been inserted in a rubbersleeve, .a wedge 18 is driven or forced into the longitudinal slot 16 ofsaid' tubular` body portion, said wedge being body portion.

tapered at one end forstarting, as at 19, 20,

and having suitable tongues 21 at its lateral longitudinal edges toenter the grooves 17, 17. Preferably there is attached to the said wedgea cylindrical filler 22 4to occupy thel inside of the tubular bodyportion 15, and

vpositively retain the shape .of the same.

This filler 21 is somewhat shorter than the wedge 18, so as to\.give thelatter time to expand 'the body portion before the filler reaches it,and furthermore said filler is tapered as at 23 to more readily enterthe This wedge and filler are forcedunto theexpander body portion by anyS-u1table means, and when in place cause said body portion to expanduniformly to secure the desired pressure.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I have shown an expander consisting of a simple splittube 24 adapted to be placed inside the rubber sleeve, and a plunger 25adapted to be forced into said spl1t tube, 4:as by a hydraulic press 26.Said plunger is tapered at its end 27 to start into the tube 24 and theoutside diameter of said plunger is such aswill secure the desiredamount of expansion. Preferably the upper end of the expanding tube 24has a flange 28 i adapted to overlap the rubber sleeve 5, paper abovesaid layer 4, Celluloid cylinder 3, and matrix 2,

so as to protect the upper ends of said parts. The lower ends of saidparts, as well as the lower end of the expanding tube, the closed bottomofthe casing 29, and the side walls of said casing preferablyfextendparts which the casing incloses, as at 30.

In Fig. 9 I have shown a thicker rubb'r sleeve 31 arranged'inside of thepaper layer y4, cellulo1d cylinder 3 and matrix 2, said sleeve`31 beingsomewhat longer than the said parts. Caps 32, 33 fit over the ends` ofsaid rubber sleeve, the flanges 34, 35 of said caps overlapping outsidethe matrix. Said caps furthermore have central tubular stems 36, 37which are adapted to extend into the longitudinal chamber of the rubbersleeve 31 Obviously when the caps 32, 33 are forced together the rubbersleeve 31 willbe expanded to secure the desired outward pressure, andsaid caps may be forced togetherby any ap ropriate means whatever, suchas a press.

n Fig. 10 end caps 38, 39 are provided having flanges 40, 41 which arelong enough to overlap -and telescope each other. Said guide the caps asflanges thus cover "the sides of the matrix,

rubber' sleeve and the end caps. Said end caps therefore do not engagethe 4rubber sleeve directly, but when forced together said rubber sleeveis expanded to produce the same radially outward pressure as is obtainedby the constructions shown in Figs. 9

and l0.

It will be understood that any other substance which is sufficientlyelastic to make it substantially equivalentto rubber can be employed forthe sleeve which I have termed the rubber sleeve, and I do not wish tobe limited in such details except as the state ofthe art may require.

Having thus described the invention, what Iy claim is: Y i

1. lIn an apparatus for making phonograph records, the combination witha tubular matrix adapted to receive within itself a hollow cylindricalrecord blank, of a sleeve of resilient material inside, said matrix, a

split tubular member inside said sleeve, and

means arranged transversely of said split tubular member upon the endsthereof for expanding the split tubular` member, said means beinglongitudinally of said split tubular member located outside the bore orpassage thereof.

2. In an apparatus for making phonograph records, the combination with atubular matrix adapted to receive within itself a hollow cylindricalrecord blank, of a sleeve of resilient material inside said matrix, asplit tubular member inside said sleeve having end flanges bent radiallyinward, and means upon said end flanges outside the bore or passage ofthe tubular member for expanding the same.

3. In an apparatus for making phonograph records, the combination with atubular matrix adapted to lreceive within itself a hollow cylindricalrecord blank, of a sleeve of resilient material insidesaid matrix, asplit tubular member inside said sleeve, and levers one at each end ofsaid split tubular member fulcrumed upon one of the margins thereof andengaging themargin upon the opposite side of the split to force saidmargins(l apart.

v4. In an apparatus for making phonograph records, the combination witha tubular matrix adapted to receive within itself a hollowcylindricalrecord blank, of a sleeve of resilient material inside said matrix, asplit tubular member inside said sleeve having end flanges bent radiallyinward,'and

`levers on said end flanges outside the bore .or passage of the tubularmember for eX- panding the same.

5. In an apparatus for making phonograph records, the combination with atubu- 5 lar matrix adapted to receive within itself a hollow cylindricalrecord blank, of a sleeve of resilient material inside said matrix, a

i split tubular member inside said sleeve, studs at each end of saidsplit member at opposite sides of the split, and levers one pivoted on10 Y one stud of a pair and having an eccentric groove receiving theother stud.

'WILLIAM ROTTER. In the presence of- RUSSELL M. EvERET'r,

FRANCES E. BLODGETT'.

